Anthony Mackie Disses Black Directors and Calls Out Hollywood’s Long History of Ignoring Talented Horses

A horse is a horse of course.
Photo:
Kevin Winter/Getty Images, Universal Pictures

Anthony Mackie, who at this point seems to be auditioning for a spot on The View, spoke with the Daily Beast on diversity in directing, and it went about as well as you might expect. On the subject of finding an African-American director to direct the Marvel Cinematic Universe's first black superhero movie, Black Panther, Mackie shared that he doesn't think it's important:

"As a director your job is to tell a story. You know, they didn’t get a horse to direct Seabiscuit! The thing is I don’t think the race of the director has to do with their ability to tell a story. I think it’s all about the director’s ability to be able to relate to that story and do it justice. I think men can direct women, and two of my greatest work experiences were with female directors. So I think it all depends. May the best man, or woman, win."

Thank you, Mackie, for bravely championing equine inclusion. He's got a point: Why are we talking about the lack of black directors when there literally have been zero horse directors? Why are we so fixated on the fact that white men have directed every Marvel film when humans have directed every movie, period? Do you think the horse that missed out on the chance to direct Seabiscuit is the only horse that's suffered in Hollywood?

Let's take a look at some other well-known horses who've been taken to the proverbial Tinseltown glue factory.

Mr. Ed

Mister Ed if you're nasty.
Photo:
CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images

Perhaps when Rosa Parks sat down on that bus in Montgomery, Alabama, she distracted America from the real problem at hand: Some poor horse was being hustled onto the set of Mr. Ed to shoot a pilot for a show that would soon debut on CBS. CBS kept that horse hostage for six years, never once letting him direct or write an episode. You know why Lil Wayne gave Mr. Ed a shout-out on the carpe diem anthem "The Motto"? It's because he relates to the struggle. Mr. Ed is a metaphor for our American prison system.

Black Beauty

Photo:
Keith Hamshere/Getty Images

Sure, Anna Sewell was an invalid who was able to see her first novel reach success before she died, but what about the horse she based it on? That horse has gotten no recognition after nearly two centuries of book sales and film adaptations. Appropriate much, Hollywood?

Also, black beauty? All horses matter.

Bullseye

Bullseye!
Photo:
Disney/ Pixar

Bullseye gets no recognition in the big world of Toy Story. He's just a token horse for Woody to ride around on. There have been so many stories told in the Toy Story universe, and yet Bullseye remains a footnote.

Starlite

This heffa Rainbow Brite pulls a Columbus and "finds" a magical horse? Look at the Brite Supremacy at work.

American Pharoah

Photo:
Lucas Jackson/Reuters/Corbis

How does a Triple Crown winner not receive more recognition? Why hasn't he sold his life rights and produced an auteuristic biopic? He has the leverage to pull a Ben Affleck and direct himself, perhaps in a blockbuster opposite Jennifer Lawrence. Is it just the spelling of pharaoh working against him?

That One Horse From an Episode of Dynasty

Horse Carrington, III.

Everyone remembers the epic battle Alexis Carrington and Krystle Carrington had in Alexis's studio, but what about the horse that spurred that conflict? Alexis shot at the horse, who dropped Krystle and caused her miscarriage. Where is that horse's Emmy? Why is no one clamoring for the horse to have its own homage on Empire?

BoJack Horseman

The greatest injustice of all, BoJack Horseman never cracked the glass stable and directed an episode of Horsin’ Around. According to BoJack creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg, "BoJack THINKS he directed the Horsin' Around season eight episode 'Single White E-Mail,' but in actuality Gail Mancuso was always ten steps behind him, undoing his terrible decisions and apologizing profusely."

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